James Finley

James Finley

Despite continuing development, urban sprawl and changing land use, Pennsylvania's forest area has remained stable in recent decades, according to a forest scientist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Multiflora rose is one of the best -- or worst -- and most visible, examples of an invasive plant thriving in Pennsylvania's landscape. But for better or worse, a disease increasingly is infecting and killing the thick stands across the state.

In an era of ever-increasing environmental awareness, few industries receive more scrutiny than logging. For decades, environmental groups have claimed that commercial logging practices result in devastating consequences, including deforestation, soil erosion, a loss of biodiversity, and increased global climate change. Advocates of the logging industry counter that without their "proactive forest management," North American forests would become overcrowded, unhealthy and fire-prone.